Search: Stage presentation

Visitors "travel through time" with a host playing several characters: from the Future, 1900, 1945 and 1999. Visitors answer questions in a quiz about other people's predictions of future technology, and then are invited to make their own predictions.

The Tiny Solutions to Our Big Energy Problem program gives a brief overview of energy sources and our current energy crisis and discusses a variety of ways that nanotechnology can improve the way we harness energy (improving solar cells), distribute energy (carbon nanotube transmission lines) and use energy (nanotech-enhanced LED bulbs). It is primarily a slideshow presentation, designed for medium-to-large audiences. It consists mostly of a lecture, with a few live demonstrations and a few audience interactions.

"Shrinking Robots!" explores the possibility of nanobots. Visitors learn what a robot is and how small real robots are today. They also learn that nanobots don't exist (yet) and consider some of the challenges in creating nano-sized robots. In the second part of the program, visitors design and build a robot toy from recycled and craft materials.

This program examines and explores social and ethical issues of consumer products from the past, present and future. Audience members are asked to weigh the risks versus the benefits. The audience members are responsible for making choices on what products to buy, question, or not buy for themselves, their families, and their communities in this fun and interactive show.

"Treating Tumors with Gold" presents promising research being conducted at Rice University in Texas. Through videos and demonstrations, the program considers the following questions: What is a tumor and what causes it to spread? What is a gold nanoshell and how does it kill tumor cells? What does the future hold for targeted cancer therapies?

Presenter puts Mentos candy into soda to create a soda fountain. This is a dramatic demonstration of the effects of surface area. This demonstration isn’t heavily focused on nanotechnology,but can be a spectacular finale that you add on to other nano demos like Intro to Nano or Surface Area. (It’s probably best as a substitution for Alka-Seltzer, rather than being performed with it.) It’s also just a crowd pleasing demo that briefly mentions nano.

"Snowflakes" is a public presentation that introduces nanoscale science through the subject of snowflakes. Visitors learn that the complex structure of snowflakes results from the nanoscale arrangement of water molecules in an ice crystal, and that snowflakes are examples of self-assembled systems studied by nanoscientists. During the program, visitors watch videos of snowflakes growing and observe real ice crystals growing in a chilled chamber.

“Cleaning Our Water with Nanotechnology” is a public presentation about our drinking water and how we can make contaminated water safe to drink using a variety of technologies – including 3 new nanotechnologies for water purification. During the presentation, audiences consider the following questions: Which contaminants do we have in our water that makes it unsafe to drink? How do we typically purify our water – and what are the shortcomings/limitations of those technologies? How can new nanotechnologies purify our drinking water in new ways to help us in situations where large-scale water treatment isn’t appropriate? The presentation includes a variety of demonstrations to illustrate how these technologies work and some models to help visitors visualize what’s happening with these technologies at the nanoscale.

“Nanotech and Consumer Products” is a public presentation that introduces audiences to the growing role of nanotechnology in making consumer products, and encourages them to consider the potential environmental and health risks. During the presentation, visitors are guided through questions such as: What is nanotechnology, why does it matter, and where is it happening? How are nanomaterials being used in a growing number of consumer products that are available on the market today? What is known about the long-term environmental and health risks of nanotechnology, and how might the increased use of consumer products that are made through nanotechnology affect the environment? What might be done to address potential environmental and health concerns from nanotechnology, given the lack of a formal regulatory structure for consumer products in the United States?

This program introduces the carbon nanotube, its discovery and applications.